Dejesus was on a trip to Texas with her friends in October 2017 when tragedy struck during a boat trip on Lake Travis. A strong current pulled her into contact with a boat propeller, but she didn’t realize she had lost her limb until she was pulled from the water by two witnesses who had military experience. Her professional instincts took over immediately and she began instructing her friends on what to do, effectively helping to save her own life.

Dejesus tells FoxNews.com, “I’m an ICU nurse and I knew I had to lie flat with my legs up and put pressure on my wound. It was at this point I realized I didn’t have an arm. I couldn’t believe it. I was lucky because my wound was not bleeding heavily. My artery had been kinked and it was a clean cut.”

Recognizing the severity of the situation, Dejesus instructed her friends to put pressure on her wound while she was taken to an ambulance waiting on shore, then airlifted to Dell Seton Medical Center for emergency surgery. She went into surgery and woke up intubated, sedated, and on life support.

Dejesus was eventually transferred home to New Jersey where she underwent weeks of physical and occupational therapy and received a prosthetic arm. She has since resumed working at Overlook Hospital and returned to the lake with her friends on the one-year anniversary of her accident to gain closure and celebrate life with those who helped save her.

To learn more about ICU nurse Kristina Dejesus who helped save her own life after losing her arm in a tragic boat propeller accident, visit here.